Stove



Dec. 6, 1938. B. B. KAHN 2,138,925

STOVE Filed Jan. 6, 1936 2 Shets-Sheet l WWiM GUM;

Dec. 6, 1938.

STOVE B. KAHN 2,138,925

Filed Jan. 6, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 6, 1938 PATENT OFFICE STOVE Bertrand B. Kalm, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to The Estate Stove Company, Hamilton, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application January 6, 1936, Serial No. 57,742-

2 Claims.

This invention relates to gas stoves and more particular to a new and useful improvement in lighting appliances for stoves adapted for the use of compressed or, so-called bottled gas.

In localities not provided with a central source of manufactured or natural gas, which may be piped to individual consumers, it is a common practice to utilize one of several commercially available gaseous fuels which are stored under pressure in flasks or bottles and shipped to the consumer where the container is connected to the stove through an intermediate pressure reducing valve which functions to deliver the gas to the burners of the stove at relatively low pressures.

Bottled gas is necessarily more expensive than piped fuels and this factor has militated against the employment of the conventional constantly burning pilot lights in stoves designed for its use.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide new and economical means to effect ignition of the gas admitted to the burners of a stove adapted for the use of bottled gas.

A more specific object of the invention resides in the provision of a unitary electrical means, manually energized coincidentally with turning on the gas at any one of a plurality of burners, to ignite a small quantity of the gas discharged therefrom, and at a point spaced from the burner, the gas thus ignited functioning to communicate a flame to the surface of the burner.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.

In the drawings which disclose a preferred embodiment of the invention- Fig. l is a plan view of a stove embodying a lighting appliance constructed in accordance with the present invention, certain of the parts being omitted for purposes of clarity; and

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken from the right hand side of the stove as viewed in Fig. 1.

The drawings, in which like characters of reference designate like parts throughout the several views thereof, illustrate a stove Ill adapted for the use of bottled gas and embodying a lighting appliance illustrative of a preferred form of the invention.

A plurality of burners H, are supported on the upper surface of the stove H), the respective burners being adapted to be provided with a gaseous fuel, through integrally formed conduits H, from a common manifold which in turn is suitably connected with a container of bottled gas, (not shown).

In the present instance four burners are disclosed, but it will be understood that a lesser or greater number may be employed.

An igniting means indicated generally at I3, is centrally positioned with respect to the several burners and comprises a plurality of lighter housings or flash-back tubes it, one such tube terminating adjacent each of the burners in a position to conduct gas therefrom to a central igniton chamber IS with which each of the several lighter housings communicate. In this connection it'will be understood that the burner arms adjacent the tubes M are provided with one or more apertures positioned to direct a fiow of gas directly into the open ends of the tubes.

In the present embodiment of the invention, the lighter tubes M, and the central chamber l5 are integrally formed, the assembly being supported on the stove by means of depending legs it which in turn are fixed to a rearwardly extending plate H which overliesa pair of spaced parallel angle members l8.

The central chamber I5 is substantially barrelshaped in cross sectional contour as indicated in Fig. 2, and is formed with spaced arcuate apertures IS in its upper surface to provide a vent to the atmosphere.

An adjustable screw 20 is threaded into the top of the chamber and is arranged to be locked in any desired position of adjustment by a nut 2| accessible from the top of the stove through an aperture 22 formed in the cooking top burner shield 23. It will be evident that the screw 20 forms an electrical contact with the frame or body of the stove. A spark plug 24 is threaded into the bottom end of the chamber substantially axially thereof, it being understood that the plug is suitably insulated from the chamber as by means of insulating collars 25.

The spark plug 24 is electrically connected to a source of electrical energy to effect a discharge of current from its electrode 24a to the adjustable screw 20 for the purpose of igniting gaseous fuel conducted from any one of the burners It! to the central chamber l5 through the lighter tubes l4.

As shown in the drawings a source of electrical energy in the form of dry cell batteries is indicated at 26. In the present instance the batteries 26 are housed in a suitable compartment 21, fixed to the rear wall of the stove and rendered accessible by a removable cover 28. The batteries are connected in series by a conductor 29 and a conductor 30 functions to ground one of the remaining terminals to the frame of the stove. A conductor 3| establishes an electrical connection between the batteries and one pole of a push button type switch 32 which for convenience is mounted on the front. of the stove in proximity to the conventional burner control valves. A conductor 33 is connected between the second pole of switch 32 and the primary winding of a well known commercial form of ignition coil 34, such for example as that which is commonly associated 'with automotive ignition systems. The ignition coil 34 is conveniently housed'within the compartment 21. A vibrator finger 35, operatively supported on the top surface of the coil functions in a well known manner to make and breakthe circuit leading to its primary coil for the purpose of inducing a flow of current of relatively higher voltage in the secondary circuit of the ignition coil.

As shown particularly in Fig. 2 a high tension conductor 36 is connected between the secondary terminal of the ignition coil and the binding post 31 of the spark plug 24. Both the primary and secondary windings of the ignition coil are grounded to the stove through a common spring contact finger 38, fixed to the bottom of housing 21 in position to engage a contact point in the bottom surface of the coil. It will now be apparent that closing of the switch 32 by depression of its operating button 324:, will cause a flow of current from the batteries 26 to the primary coil of the ignition transformer and thence through the ground contact 38 and the body of the stove to conductor 30 and back to the batteries. This primary current will serve to vibrate the finger 35 of the ignition coil to alternately make and break the current flowing through its primary winding thus giving rise to an inducedcurrent in the secondary winding which will flow through the high tension conductor 36 to the spark plug 24 which in turn will cause an are between the electrode 24a of the spark plug and the grounded screw 20, the circuit being completed through the stove to the common ground 38 of the ignition coil. 4

In operation, gas is admitted to one of the burners ll, through operation of its related control valve as-a consequence of which a small quantity of the fuel discharged from the burner is promptly communicated through its adjacent flash back tube l4 to the central chamber IS. The operator meanwhile having closed the switch 32 by depression of its button 32a, thereby causing sparks to pass between the plug 24 and the grounded screw 20 thus igniting the gas which reaches the central chamber and causing a flash back to the burner to ignite the latter.

It will be obvious that the absence of a constantlyburning pilot light precludes wastage of the gaseous fuel and the relatively small volumetric capacity of the central chamber l5 insures a satisfactory flash-back and ignition of the burners with an attendant use of appreciably less fuel than has heretofore been necessary, and with a construction that embodies only a few parts of comparatively simple construction. It will also be apparent that this construction is especially advantageous in that the electrical ignition means is located at a point removed from the heat of the burners and are therefore not subjected to tion, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise form of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a stove having a plurality of individually controllable burners adapted for use of gaseous fuel of the character described, a normally inoperative lighting appliance comprising an ignition chamber provided between said burners at a point remote from the zone heated by any of said burners, a plurality of elongated gas passages each laterally communicating at one end with said chamber and extending from said chamber to the respective burners to convey gas discharged by any of said burners to said chamber, said chamber having a top wall, an electrode depending into said chamber centrally thereof and supported solely by said top wall and electrically connected to said top wall, a lower electrode insulated from said chamber and removably carried by said chamber with its upper end vertically below said first electrode and in line with all of said passages, said electrodes forming a spark gap in said chamber in a location remote from any continuous flame and in a location which is comparatively cool except when the gas of a burner is being ignited.

2. In a stove having a plurality of individually controllable cooking top burners adapted for use of gaseous fuel of the character described, a nor- 4 mally inoperative lighting appliance comprising an ignition chamber, means for supporting said ignition chamber in said stove between said burners at a point remote from the zone heated by any of said burners, a plurality of elongated gas passages each laterally communicating at one end with said chamber and extending from said chamber to the respective burners to convey gas discharged by any of said burners to said chamber, said chamber having a top member providing an electrode support, an electrode depending into said chamber centrally thereof and supported by said top member, a lower electrode supported in said chamber with its upper end vertically below said first electrode and in line with all of said passages, said electrodes forming a spark gap in said chamber in a location remote from any continuous flame and in a location which is comparatively cool except when the gas of a burner is being ignited.

BERTRAND B. KAHN. 

